The first images of the PlayStation 5 controller reveal a familiar design with 2 major changes

• A patent application published in Japan has revealed the design of Sony's PlayStation 5 controller.
• The PS5 controller is similar in design to the PlayStation 4 controller, but with a USB-C charging port and without the PlayStation 4 controller's colored light bar.
• The PlayStation 5 controller will also support haptic feedback, and has a larger battery than the PS4 controller.
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The first images of the PlayStation 5 controller have surfaced in a Sony patent application filed in Japan. VideoGamesChronicle.com spotted the patent after it was approved on November 18.

Last month, Sony confirmed that the PlayStation 5 would arrive during the 2020 holiday season. In an interview with Wired Magazine, Sony President Jim Ryan and system architect Mark Cerny described some of the new console's most important new features, including a solid state hard drive for much faster loading times and haptic feedback for the PlayStation 5 controller.

Overall, the PlayStation controller hasn't changed much since the PlayStation 2's DualShock 2 controller. While Sony's DualShock 3, 4, and Sixaxis controllers included new features for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, the size and layout of the controller has largely remained the same. The DualShock 4 introduced a touch pad in the center of the controller, and the PS5 controller will continue that trend.

Sony says the PlayStation 5 controller's haptic feedback will offer more sophisticated "rumble" effects than the PS4 controller. Game designers will be able to adjust the sensitivity of the haptic motors and the controller's triggers to match the action in-game, so the feeling of firing different guns or handling the wheel of a car will feel distinct.

The PlayStation 5 controller will have a USB-C charging port, moving on from the PS4 controller's USB Micro-B connection. The PS5 will also get rid of the colored light bar on the top of the controller - the PS4 light bar offered customizable ambient lighting to match the game being played, but also drained the controller's battery with extended use.

Sony product manager Toshi Aoki told Wired that the PlayStation 5 controller will have an improved battery life, but the larger battery and haptic motors make the controller a bit heavier. It will still be a bit lighter than Microsoft's Xbox One controller, however.

While PlayStation 5 will able to play PlayStation 4 games, it's unclear if it will be backwards compatible with the PlayStation 4 controller. A handful of games for PlayStation 4 allowed players to use their PlayStation 3 controllers.

Images of the PlayStation 5 development kit surfaced in October, showing off an early prototype of Sony's upcoming console. Video game developers already have their hands on the hardware and have been working on games to launch alongside the PlayStation 5 next year.

Here's a closer look at the PlayStation 5 controller: